I now live in Southeastern Michigan
*. When I used to go for evening runs in the park behind my Mom's house (across the river over in Southwestern Ontario
**) at the right time of year, the pretty purple & white
Dame's Rocket [Hesperis matronalis] flowers along the nature trail would be giving‑off the most beautiful aroma and make me so happy ( normally I hate running
). Seeing as we spend a lot of evenings outside during the warmer months, it's very temping to consider planting some in our yard
here. From what I've been reading, this plant, in the mustard family, is considered super‑invasive in a handful of states, producing tons of seeds, shading‑out other wildflowers
¹, and killing‑off forest seedlings "by releasing a chemical that wipes‑out beneficial fungus that tree/other plant roots need to survive"
². In some places, it's even banned
³. Lovely‑smelling as they are, I'm not sure I could in good‑conscience live with myself were I to be single‑handedly responsible for these pretty flowers over‑running the whole town.
My question is: What other flower, if any, is closest in smell to Dame's Rocket? – preferably a perennial.
Is
Night‑scented Stock [Matthiola longipetala] at all similarly‑scented? I know it's an annual & not quite as eye‑catching, but I might consider planting it every year if it has the same effect.
* I'm located in
Hardiness Zone 6b.
** Essex County, just across the river, where I'm originally from (mentioned above^^), looks to be
Zone 7a, but shouldn't make much of a difference.
Thanks for your expert advice,
- - -
Jen
'HESPERIS MATRONALIS' PHOTOS [not my own***]:
***Photo Credit: Merchant 'Outsidepride' on Amazon.com
***Photo Credit: Eden Brothers
